Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "strength"

My Routine Has Become Too Routine

2011-07-20T01:40:18Z

By Robert Linkul MS CSCS-CPT D*

I like to think of myself as a fairly organized and routine individual. I wake up at the same time every day, I eat the same breakfast every morning, I take the same route to work and always park in the same parking spot. As a certified personal trainer I live and die by my schedule book. Rarely, do you ever see me without it. In my line of work the more "routine" based individuals seem to be more successful. This however, is not the case when it comes to exercise. I'm not talking about the "daily routine" or time of day you have selected to exercise. I'm talking about your program design: selecting which exercises to perform, the correct weight to lift, the number of repetitions to perform and the quantity of sets to implement. In this case, "routine" is the last thing you want if you are trying to make significant changes to your body.

As trainers, we call this "program design." For every client we train we create a program design specifically geared toward assisting our clients achieve their goals. Our program designs are created with the thought of providing variety in the training program; enough variety in that the muscles are confused. Muscle confusion is a fad term for fitness terms like "over-load" and "adaptation." We will discuss the "over-load" and "adaptation" principles in more detail a little later. These two principles make up the foundation of the program design and ultimately lead to accomplishing the goals originally set by the trainer and client. If the program design is not created correctly and the same workout is completed week after week the body adapts to the over load and becomes stagnant.

I have been working at Arden Hills for seven years and during that time I have seen many people come in, day after day and perform the exact same exercise routine. For years I have seen people waddle away on the elliptical while reading the newspaper and then, using the same weight, perform the exact same exercise routine that they have been doing since 1985. The definition of insanity is, "repeating the same act while expecting a different outcome." By my standards these individuals are clinically, "fitness insane" and believe it or not, I use to be one of them!

In 1999, I was just getting started in the fitness industry and one of my most important education tools was my subscription to Flex magazine. My favorite issue was the annual "Arnold's Secret Muscle Building Routine," issue that brought forth new workout programs for me to try on myself. I couldn't wait to perform that 12-week program of the exact same thing over and over again. You know what, for some reason I never got a chest like Arnold had. Was it because I wasn't in Venice Beach lifting with Frank Zane and Franko Columbo? No, it was because my body went through the over-load and adaptation principles of the program in the first three weeks and then became complaisant. I was no longer challenging my muscles an, in a sense, had allowed my exercise routine to become too "routine."

The two principles I keep referring to are what every quality certified personal trainer should bases their program design around. The "over-load" principle states that the muscles of the body are use to a certain amount of weight and repetitions (volume) and in order to change the physical appearance of the muscles the load must change. This "load" does not necessarily mean heavier weight. You can apply an "over-load" to a muscle by performing more repetitions as well. Remember, lifting heavier weight with fewer repetitions will typically grow a muscle in size (hypertrophy). Where as lifting light weight with higher repetitions will slightly grow the muscle, increase definition and drastically increase the muscles strength. No matter what your goal is the "over-load" principle applies if you want to make a change.

The "adaptation principle" states that, while training with an over-load, for a certain amount of time (usually four to six weeks) the muscles will begin to adapt in way that the "over-load" is no longer challenging. The muscles adapt to the demands of the exercise by increasing in strength. As the muscles increase in strength the "over-load" is no longer challenging. Its at this point in the program design that the muscles need to undertake a new "over-load" to continue to the next level of improvement. Its our job, as trainers, to design the program to do this safely. The rotation of "over-load" and "adaptation" can cycle two or three times (12 to 16 weeks) before a recovery period is required. If a recovery period is not taken muscles will become "over-trained" in which they will begin to regress or become injured. You can see how proper program design is a science and a tricky one at that.

The message of this newsletter is this; do not become insane with your workout routine! Doing the same exercises over and over again while expecting them to achieve something different is not going to work. Change your routine often. I'm not saying you need to jump from weight training to yoga to spin class and then to boot camp. I'm suggesting you progress your program design to gradually challenge your body. As your body becomes stronger and starts to adapt to that challenge you need to find a new level of "over-load" to challenge them with. If you don't know how to successfully progress your routine to achieve the goals you have set you should seek the advice of a fitness professional. Remember, I go to a mechanic to fix my car because they are the experts. Exercise is not as simple as it may seem and many people need professional help to achieve the goals they have set. If this wasn't the case, I wouldn't have a job.

You are putting in the effort every day. You get prepared, you get to the gym, you go through the motions but its the same stagnant motions that are keeping you from reaching your true potential. Stop the insanity and learn the right way to progress your workout routines. There are many great-certified personal trainers out their that can teach you how to exercise correctly.

This is, by no means, a new style of training or a new discovery of program design, its been around forever. It is however, a new way of presenting this information to the public. This is part of the "fitness revolution." It’s a new way of thinking and I hope you will join me. As my mentor always says, "knowledge is power" and in this case he couldn't be more correct. Get out there and learn how to make your body a healthier place.

Disclosure: Robert Linkul MS CSCS D* is the Head Personal Trainer at Arden Hills Strength & Conditioning, trains over 100 clients a week in his personal training studio, has his master's degree in personal training and is a NSCA Certified Personal Trainer.

Am I somebody’s someone?

2009-10-26T20:05:27Z

I am glad for good news. It was true in Sacramento where I first blogged in a journal, that Regina Louise was introduced to others as a speaker of un waivered strength, courage, and diction by the National Coalition for 100 Black women.

I was most honestly depending on a book in the seed of her humanity to bring. It would appear that like the Author of this memoir, Regina Louise, can seek an affectionate tone and still remember her plight because of her distant heart breaks associated with the salvation.

She was sincerely recognized as a client of the system and nuclear family fostering program, and is now fighting for way of instilling more pride and rewarding truth. My mother, Ida A. Russell, was glad to purport this ongoing wisdom. But really it was Beverly Thomas who was able to get to know the class speaker, and identify goals set in her needs. Often Miss Regina had talked as if 27th and maybe a 28th foster parent wouldn’t be best for a long sufficient friendship and covenant wailing believer.

How I found the gem that gave and replaced all feeling of contempt was an inept matter. I feared her love and was enticed by the thoughts though I could be as recluse. I was there to read and she was awesomely and also dangerously addressing me. The marriage, a principle of harder protected sympathy’s of greatness, and the fostering of protective discourse.

If God lives, then I say as if she had a healing river of Spirits. I felt there was well-spring of the stream that bought her faithfulness. It plays here that little upheld doctrines of care weren’t as routinely beneficial to her. Though I am aware she charmed others and was seeking a blessing in attempt to work up an attitude, mood, and control for her feeling of false hope, I can see the trees making her forest.

In her authored book, she made waves purposely adding attitude to the good books love doctrine and endearing equation. And attested “I don’t know why you had me anyway”, as ways to beat her socially dysfunctional and engendering behavior.

Though I am securely saved as an example and find friendship and something more meaningful as God in her trusting life, Regina Louise love of altruism has satisfied those around the totem pole. Because competition was, an aftermath tough, she explained that there will always be sin, madden, and waiting and to teach one how to see over those prophecies which wouldn’t have most people awash.

My offering was to be evident and somehow accurate to bear as a witness to her selfless needs, but Miss Regina Louise has settled and achieved as a keynote speaker at numerous foster care and social workers’ conventions across the spectrum. She has an “A “ as the grade for a one-woman societal social cause. If I were seeking justice, and attested “I don’t know why you had me anyway”, as ways to beat her socially dysfunctional and engendering behavior she has been in playwrights with this creation of epilogue. Something unforgettable? And yes, her plan was designed to give help and esteem to those like her, in as well the service.

To Miss Regina, the at risk program for high school students called Project Think, is were denying for long trials ajar the same door simply because of their livelihood and need for a fail safe system, was independently placed as recovery up on the racks. Belle Coolidge Community Center is where I saw her first start.

She also was passionate as she explained the principles of success to the gifted as well as the less assured. This engagement to speak around the subject of ineptness or social wellness was her silent way of not subsiding but rising like cream to the top in no guilt whatsoever.

When I see her again I’ll have two points of common. One, it is your dream and you can pick up on timely, for it fulfills your self-esteem. Two, where are you going and how much shall I render this worth?

She hails from Northern California and has Play written with the Sacramento Theater Company.

Joseph L. Russell, Jr.

Parkour traces Sacramento

2009-08-20T06:44:13Z

I walked onto the quad of Bella Vista High School on a Sunday afternoon to a sight of 20 or so men climbing walls, running like cheetahs on all fours and swinging from trees.

This was the Sacramento regional parkour practice, led by a SFparkour.com representative, Victor Lo Forte. He has been a practitioner of parkour, or traceur, French for tracer, for three and a half years and has led the Sacramento group for about two years.

"From what I understand, it's basically the discipline of training one's mind and body to prepare oneself to overcome obstacles in an environment," Lo Forte said.

Parkour is said to be rooted in early 20th century French military practices. Georges Hébert, a World War I naval officer, developed a notion of physicality that embraced use of the body and its environment for developing strength useful to society.

These principles were the foundation for his "Natural Method," which incorporated the fusion of the mental and physical to overcome obstacles via climbing, running and jumping (to name a few). His method contributed to the development of the French parcours du combattant, or military obstacle course.

As a young teen, David Belle, considered the father of parkour, picked up Natural Method ethics along with his gymnastic and martial arts training in France.

Many of the young men at the Sacramento parkour practice admire Belle and have adopted the Natural Method as part of their training.

"Parkour is training your flight response," said Sacramento State student Jake Anderson.

Lo Forte commented on one of the many purposes of parkour, to "be strong to protect your family and friends."

"We’re not trying to hurt anybody, we’re training to be strong, and that really helps the community," he said.

Though not a spectator sport, it is difficult to explain what exactly traceurs are doing to people who gather round their concrete playground.

"I usually point them to YouTube and Casino Royale," Anderson said. "I tell them parkour is the study of the most efficient way to get from point A to point B."

This efficiency calls for climbing walls, not walking around them.

"If you're in a dead-end alley, you look back and forth and don’t look up," Anderson said. "People don’t look up, they don’t look at their environments anymore."

He described parkour as a way to think of our built environment with a critical lens. "We create our environments to be quick and easy for what we’re raised as," Anderson said. "Parkour shows us that there are actually easier ways than we’re raised, things people don’t think of."

The Sacramento traceurs have tried practicing in the Downtown Sacramento area, but have found security and business owners to be hostile to the activity. "If they tell us to leave then we leave," Lo Forte said.

"I’d say ground-rules for anywhere are be respectful of the environment, don’t wreck things, don’t leave litter behind, clean up after yourselves," he said. "There is a big thing in parkour community called the leave no trace campaign. We don’t want it to look like we’ve been there. We don’t want to get kicked out of places."

Parkour training also focuses on overall health and well-being. "It might save their lives," Lo Forte said. "You never know if they might get addicted to drugs or end up in jail."

"I wanted to get in shape," said Robert King, a telecommunications technician for Sacramento County. "Since I started in January, I lost 40 pounds."

"A lot of people are sitting home and they don’t get any sensory input; they don't smell the dirt on their hands and the sun on their face," Lo Forte said.

This was the case for 15-year-old Jonah Saysourivong. "Before this I was a big-time gamer and would play Call of Duty for 42 hours straight," he said. "I definitely know other kids my age are drinking alcohol and smoking, and that’s one thing I’d never do."

The health benefits and the body's adaptation to unique movements is of great interest to Anderson as a kinesiology student. "They should talk about it in anatomy classes and in physical therapy classes. I think that doctors should know it, gymnasts, athletes," he said. He hopes to introduce parkour in his dance and martial arts classes at Sacramento State.

Lo Forte also aspires to introduce parkour skills to the police force. "These things will be helpful for them and hopefully they will realize that and hire some of us to train them in the future," he said.

In the middle of practice, a group of young men started tumbling and performing a series of flips in the air and over others lying on the ground. The freedom of movement in a creative way like this is called free-running, often associated with parkour.

"Parkour is strictly what's the most efficient way from one point to another; free-running is adding flair and flips," Anderson said.

Though there were not any females present at the practice, they are encouraged to participate as traceuse, French for female tracers.

Robert King encouraged me to try a technique to get over a 7-foot wall during practice, but I settled for swinging and balancing on rails on my own time. I found that I was using my environment rather than living around it. Though we all live in our environments, traceurs live their environments.

For more information, click the following link:

Practice at Bella Vista High School, meeting Sundays and Wednesdays at 4 p.m.